Control effector health capabilities determination reasoning system and method

Abstract

A system and method for determining the response capabilities of a control effector are provided. Command data and sensor data associated with the control effector are processed to generate control effector health data representative of control effector health. The control effector health data are processed in a reasoned. The reasoned is configure to selectively indict and clear one or more faults, determine one or more failures that cause indicted faults, and determine, based on the one or more determined failures, a usable range of control effector commands to which the control effector can respond.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for determining the response capabilities of a control effector, the method comprising the steps of:
 processing, in a test module, at least command data and sensor data associated with the control effector to generate control effector health data representative of control effector health; and 
 processing the control effector health data in a reasoner to: 
 (i) selectively indict and clear one or more faults, 
 (ii) determine one or more failures caused by indicted faults, and 
 (iii) determine, based on the one or more determined failures, a usable range of control effector commands to control the control effector with the usable range of commands. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 supplying the usable range data to an adaptive control system. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more failures include one or more binary failures and one or more parametric failures. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining the quantitative degradation of each of the one or more parametric failures. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating one or more action alerts, each action alert representative of an action to be performed. 
 
     
     
       6. A system for determining the response capabilities of a control effector, comprising:
 a test module adapted to receive at least command data and sensor data associated with a control effector, the test module configured, upon receipt of these data, to generate control effector health data representative of control effector health; and 
 a reasoner coupled to receive the control effector health data and configured, in response thereto, to (i) selectively indict and clear one or more faults, (ii) determine one or more failures caused by indicted faults, and (iii) determine, based on the one or more determined failures, a usable range of control effector commands to control the control effector with the usable range of commands. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the reasoner is further configured to:
 supply the usable range data to an adaptive control system. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more failures include one or more binary failures and one or more parametric failures. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the reasoned is further configured to determine the quantitative degradation of each of the one or more parametric failures. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the reasoned is further configured to generate one or more action alerts, each action alert representative of an action to be performed.